Knowledge of results

Knowledge of results is a term in the psychology of learning.^: 619 A psychology dictionary defines it as feedback of information:

"(a) to a subject about the correctness of [their] responses; (b) a student about success or failure in mastering material, or (c) a client in psychotherapy about progress".

It describes the situation where a subject gets information which helps them to change behaviour in a desirable way, or to gain understanding.

There are a number of similar terms in psychology:

• KCR: this means "knowledge of correct results". This implies that there is always a specific correct result.
• Operant conditioning and reinforcement: this implies a behaviourist approach using schedules of reinforcement to "shape behaviour".
• Feedback: this is a more general term, often used for the way systems adjust to preset limits. It is often used in general conversation, with various meanings. Corrective feedback is a version sometimes used in school education.

Knowledge of results, or sometimes immediate knowledge of results, can be used for any learning where a student (or an animal) gets information after the action. The information is about how satisfactory the action is.